8:4 Ezra the scribe stood on a towering wooden platform 3 constructed for this purpose. Standing near him on his right were Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and Masseiah. On his left were Pedaiah, Mishael, Malkijah, Hashum, Hashbaddanah, Zechariah, and Meshullam.
1 tn Heb “will arise and build.” The idiom “arise and…” means to begin the action described by the second verb.
2 tn Heb “portion or right or remembrance.” The expression is probably a hendiatris: The first two nouns retain their full nominal function, while the third noun functions adjectivally (“right or remembrance” = “ancient right”).
3 tn Heb “a tower of wood.”